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Key Words (Preview)
中文 (Zhōngwén) the Chinese language; Chinese
汉语 (Hànyǔ) Chinese (language)
普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà) Mandarin
When it comes to language learning, the popular opinion among non-native Chinese people is that Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world, if not the hardest. Some people have the impression that it is nearly impossible ...
Here is the second part of the popular “Top 3 Chinese Street Foods You Have to Try” series that you all have been patiently waiting for. If you want to know more about Chinese street foods favorites, you are sure to find it below.
In the last food article, we discovered 3 of the street ...
Bargaining is an art and may be very helpful in daily life. At least, it is so often used in most markets and back-street clothes shops. And when you want to bargain over the price with the salesman. “卖家 (mài jiā) The seller” usually use this Chinese phrase “一分钱，一分货 (yì fēn qián, yì fēn huò) ...
You may know that “麻将 (májiàng) Mahjong” is the most common form of entertainment during Chinese Spring Festival, but do you know why the Chinese are so keen to play Mahjong instead of other leisure activities like poker? What are the different values and cultural connotations that poker and Mahjong exhibit from Eastern and Western ...
For many foreigners, when they marry into a Chinese family there are a lot of cultural aspects that must be learned in order to be able to fully enjoy their new family.
One of the most important holidays, Chinese New Year, is a great example of how a new Western son-in-law could have a rough ...
(The picture source: www.nipic.com)
Chinese mythical creatures have captured the imagination of anyone who has ever seen a Chinese movie or Chinese literature. Unfortunately, most people only know about dragons.
How to Write the Chinese Character: 龙 (Lóng) Dragon
There are many magical creatures with supernatural powers in Chinese mythology. They can be either merciful or malignant, beautiful ...
“看漫画，学中文” (Kàn mànhuà, xué zhōngwén) (Part Two)
Hi! Li Li, here again, to show you some comics about the differences between Western and Eastern cultures! If you read my previous blog, you already know I’ve been studying abroad for several months and I shared three cultural differences with “漫画 (mànhuà) comics” to ...
Some students often ask what in the world “花 (huā)” really means! “花 (huā)” is one of those words used in all sorts of different contexts with many different meanings. Of course, there’s the basic meaning of “一束花 (yí shù huā) a bouquet of flowers.” Then there’s the meaning to “to spend.” I think of ...
The word for mischievous or naughty child in Chinese is composed of “熊 (xióng)” which means bear and “孩子 (háizi)” which means kid, or child. Put those together and you get “熊孩子 (xióng háizi).”
Let’s break down the word.
熊 (Xióng) bear
(Nursery Rhyme – 三只小熊 (Sān zhī xiǎoxiónɡ) Three Little Bears)
孩子 (Háizi) kid, child
(Chinese ...
Kàn mànhuà, xué zhōngwén
看漫画，学中文
Learn Chinese While Reading Comics (Part One)
It’s tough being a foreigner in a strange country! Not only is the language completely different, but the customs are totally different a lot of the time too.
I’m from Beijing and my name is Sun Li. There’s the first problem. My family name is Sun. ...
You may not know him, but you must have posted or seen him on social media. His name is Gavin Thomas, a cute 7-year-old American child and at the same time one of the online celebrities in China in recent days.
His smile is a perfect blend of embarrassment and politeness, unnaturalness and grace, pride and ...
A Unique Christmas Gift – 24 Magical Chinese Coins
PartⅠ: 平安夜送苹果 (Píng’ān yè sòng píngguǒ) Give Apples on Christmas Eve
A common Christmas present in China is apples wrapped in beautiful gift wrapping—Christmas with a Chinese flavor. Giving apples on Christmas Eve is an interesting custom that can be seen in China. So why apples? Chinese ...
“美 (Měi) Beauty” is not an absolute, inflexible concept. There are differences between the understanding and pursuit of beauty between the East and the West. For Chinese, among many standards of beauty, fair skin is a rather important “标准 (biāozhǔn) criterion” to judge “外貌 (wàimào) appearances,” and how to whiten is also a daily life ...
For those of you new to Chinese language tests, HSKK stands for “汉语水平口语考试 (hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǒuyǔ kǎoshì)” and is a standardized oral test that aims to test examinees’ ability in spoken Chinese. HSKK is the oral test portion of the HSK and is divided into 3 levels:
● HSKK Test Prep (Beginner Level)
● HSKK Test Prep ...
(Last updated time: Nov. 30th)
Learning Key Words (preview)
东 (Dōng) east
西 (Xī) west
Since “东 (Dōng) east” and “西 (xī) west” are both direction words. Can you guess what “东西 (dōngxī)” means?
It can be applied to noun phrases, which refers to the two hemispheres or directions east and west. Such as:
东西方文化 (Dōngxī fāng wénhuà) ...
Compliments, modest remarks, and polite expressions are all forms of respect. We have these in every culture, complimenting the other party or praising them for something they have accomplished, belittling oneself as a form of modesty, as well as terms of respect that express politeness. These are all important parts of an elegant conversation.
Honoring the ...
(The picture source: www.photophoto.cn）
Here is the second part of the popular ”十二生肖 (shí’èrshēngxiào): Chinese Zodiac” series that you all have been patiently waiting for. If your animal wasn’t included in the last installment, you are sure to find it below. In the last zodiac article, we discovered all 12 of the animals while going into ...
People have been interested in their fortune and explanations of their personalities since the beginning of civilization. Even if you don’t believe in it, it’s fun when your friend reads your weekly horoscope. In China, there are 12 zodiac animals and they are:
1. 鼠 (Shǔ): Mouse
2. 牛 (Niú): Ox ...
Chinese grammar is famously simple. However, some grammatical aspects are still difficult for my Mandarin Chinese students. In this lesson, I will help you understand one of these tricky aspects that you are likely to see on tests such as the HSK. What’s so difficult about the particle “了 (le)”?
I often need to spend extra ...
Just like with English, Mandarin has evolved a lot since the use of the internet. We have a lot of slang words whose meanings started as something and ended up as something entirely different because of the way it’s used in messaging and online. One of my favorite words like this is “卖萌 (màiméng).”
Let’s break ...
